Abstract

Chapter 19

"I seriously missed all of it?" Cole grumbled when we were all hanging out at Qaahir's house two days after the incident. Derek and Jesse were telling him what happened, and as usual, Greg and Bella were making out.

"Yep, pretty much." Willow replied.

"I can't believe he said something like that!" He sneered. As much as the everyone didn't want to admit it, we all cared for each other deeply and didn't want to see each other hurt.

Autumn and Qaahir weren't paying us much attention. They gave each other secret smiles and knowing glances. I watched them, forming a few obvious theories s to why they were acting that way. Something definitely happened that day I left the of them alone.

"It's okay," Autumn finally spoke. "My mom's leaving him. We're moving out next week."

"We hope it all works out for you." I told her and everyone nodded.

"Thank you. You know, if it wasn't for you, Aura. My brother might still be in that coma."

I didn't know how to respond, when I finally found my voice, I said, "You don't have to thank me." She honestly didn't. I didn't deserve credit just because I closed my eyes and imagined her in a certain light.

"Yes, I do. You're using your gift for good. Sometimes I don't know what I'll ever accomplish being an Anger Abstract." She mumbled.

I went on to tell her she was wrong, when Jesse broke in. "What exactly do we do? Yeah, I get it. We can fuck with people's heads. But when have we actually really tried it on anyone besides ourselves."

He had an actual point. We knew what we could do, but we haven't really found out what that meant for us exactly.

"We can't do anything." Zylen said.

"Come on, Zy. Aren't you the least bit curious?" Nabeela asked him.

"We can't do anything." He repeated.

"If you're worried--"

The saying, There is a first time for everything couldn't have been more accurate in that moment. Because, I watched as Zylen's eyes became darker and his mouth twist into a frown. He snapped, in the coldest tone I've ever heard him speak in, "We can't use them on people, alright!We just can't. Get that through all of your fucking skulls." He stormed off, and we were all enveloped in a stunned silence.

It was Willow who finally broke it. "You guys shouldn't have brought it up. You know how Zylen feels about the subject."

"Why though? He can't get upset everytime we try and talk about it. There's something he's not telling us." Jesse said.

"Either way, Jess," Rehana sighed. "We trust Zylen. We're like a family. If he's so against talking about it, then maybe we should back off for a while. He'll come around."

Their slow nods were all the reassurance I needed to go looking for him.

I found him in Qaahir's bedroom. (Which was also red, by the way. Just like the rest of his house.) He had his head low, causing the top part of his  hair to fall against his forehead. I sat beside him and just waited. He would talk when he was ready.

"I found out I was Abstract in the worst way." He whispered finally. "I had just started high school and met this girl. We instantly hit it off. And just like that, I had my first girlfriend. For once in my life, I finally had that female figure that I lacked ever since my mother died. I fell in love with her, Aura. I fell hard. And I thought that even after three years of dating, she'd still feel the same way I felt about her. But then she broke up with me, and I was alone again. I was depressed for the longest time. I just wanted her to feel as shitty as I felt.
So I imagined. As I lay in bed every night I hoped she was feeling as bad as I did."

I rubbed slow circles on the back of his hand. I bit back the first bite of jealousy I've ever had for the girl that made him happy then broke his heart.

"I didn't realise it at first. But all my bad wishes came true. Because she fell into a deep depression. She missed school. Her parents went as far as asking me to come over to talk to her even though they knew we weren't together anymore."

"What was her name?"

"Nina." He smiled to himself, thinking of the memories that were reserved for the two people who created them.
And the jealousy came back in full force.

"You must have really loved her." I say dryly.

He aqua gaze observed my face. The cockiest smirk broke out on his stupid, gorgeous face. "Are you jealous?"

"How do you get through the door with your big head?" My voice was clipped and laced with annoyance.

He grabbed me and sat me on his lap. "Don't get mad at me. It feeds my ego that you're jealous of a girl you don't even know. I must be doing something right."

When I didn't respond, he tilted his head towards mine and kissed me. Slowly. Thoroughly. I melted against him and kissed him back. "Yes, I was in love with her. But nothing compares to the feeling I
get when I'm with you. She's the past. You're my present and my future. Never doubt that."

I huffed. "I can't stay mad at you when you say things like that."

"I have a way with words."

"That, you do. Continue with your story."

His face went dark again. "I went over to her house out of respect for her parents. But I was nervous as to how I was going to be able to talk to her without my feelings resurfacing. I went anyway. God, Aura. You should have seen her. She was broken. I knew because I was broken, too. She could barely look at me."

I offered my silent support, which helped him spit out the rest of the story. "I asked her what was wrong. If maybe she regretted going out with me."

"Of course, I don't regret it. I just fell out of love with you. That's all. Ever since then, I can barely breathe. I'm so unhappy, and I don't know why. There are some days where I feel like death is the only solution."

"You did that to her? Made her feel that way?" Before I even realised it, my hand moved swiftly away from his as if he burnt me. He noticed, and it instantly filled me with regret when his eyes were filled with hurt.

He pursed his lips and turned away from my face before he said, "Oh no, baby. Don't hate me just yet. You will plenty despite me in minute when I tell you the rest of the story."

I came closer. "I'm sorry, Zy. I didn't mean to pu--"

"She killed herself. She hung herself with a rope because I messed with her emotions. You see, that's the thing.  When we control another Abstract's emotions, it lasts until you want it to stop. When you do it on a random person, it lasts a very, very long time. Just ask Adam's birth father: he's locked up in an asylum because his son gave him what he deserved."

And for the second time that day, I was rendered silent. I don't know if that was the particular moment, things started going wrong. But it was definitely the beginning of the end.
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